A weblog or blogsite for local affairs, issues and news in Lower Hutt, Hutt Valley, Wellington and other parts of Kiwiland.

Monday, April 16, 2012

A tempoary cardboard cathedral for Christchurch...

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Christchurch Cathedral. Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) As it was before earthquakes...

The
Anglican Church has chosen a radical vision for its new temporary Christchurch
cathedral.
It will be an unconventional design made out of cardboard tubes costing $5.3
million and will be big enough for a congregation of over 700 worshippers.
Church goers gathered today to hear the news of a replacement for the
Christchurch cathedral, near the southern end of Latimer Square.
The transitional cathedral will be made of 9mm cardboard tubes wrapped and
glued in Christchurch which will form the main part of the internal
structure.
Project manager Johnny McFarlane says the structure will be tested before it
is built.
“We will do testing on the strength and the deflection to see if it twists
and we will go through the permit process for using it for the structure life
which will be 50 years.”
It has been designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and will be about the
same size as the nave of the old cathedral in the square where the congregation
sat during church services .
It will sit on the former St John's Latimer Square site, just metres from
where 115 perished in the February quake, Christchurch Anglican Bishop Victoria
Matthews says.
“It is across the road from CTV where so many people died and what better
place to put up a symbol of new life and eternal life.”
The cardboard cathedral will be waterproof and strong enough to withstand
earthquakes.
However the $1.3 million of the $5.3 million cost is still outstanding.
But Transitional Cathedral Group spokesman Richard Gray says it is not a
problem.
“We are confident that we have four million dollars of that and will
endeavour to raise the balance as quickly as possible”
The verdict on the design appears unanimous.
“Fantastic it's beautiful it's beautiful,” Cathedral verger Julie Andrews
says.
But Cathedral music director Brian Law is not sure what music will sound like
in it.
“I am intrigued by it… [But] as a musician my concern is… is it acoustically
suitable? But it looks ok.”
The first sod will be turned next week and then work will begin on the
cardboard Cathedral.
It will only take eight months to complete the and by then it will be ready
for Christmas church services at the end of the year.3 NewsNew Zealand
Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Cardboard-Christchurch-cathedral-costs-5m/tabid/423/articleID/250607/Default.aspx#ixzz1sCTrn4tO